The Cast of Buena Vista Social Club: Tiny Desk Concert
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Felix Contreras | May 27, 2025
Based on real-life events and people, Buena Vista Social Club features many characters and lots of great Cuban music. It takes such skill to reflect music of a bygone era, even more to sound fresh and vibrant night after night for months at a time. Scaled down for the Tiny Desk, the show is no less magical.
Before it was a Broadway musical racking up Tony Award nominations, the Buena Vista Social Club was a second chance. After the Cuban Revolution, many of the country's beloved musicians were lost to time, but in 1996, an ensemble was formed to reclaim their spotlight. To tell their story, the musical goes back and forth between the 1940s and the recording sessions that produced a masterpiece.
After the band warms up the Tiny Desk crowd with El Cuarto de Tula, we meet young versions of the central characters: Compay Segundo (Da'Von Moody), Ibrahim Ferrer (Wesley Wray) and Omara Portuondo (Isa Antonetti) — their harmonies shine together on La Negra Tomasa. Antonetti takes on the bolero-son standard Lágrimas Negras. We also meet the older version of Ferrer, played by Mel Semé, for Candela. Marco Ramirez, who wrote the book for Buena Vista Social Club, is our emcee for this performance, guiding us through the story.
The secret sauce is, of course, the music. These are the foundational building blocks of what has made Cuban music so popular before and after the revolution in 1959. Some of the best musicians in NYC who have experience with classic Cuban music are in this production. Buena Vista Social Club is a living, breathing and deeply grooving homage to the era, the music and the island.
SET LIST
El Cuarto de Tula
La Negra Tomasa
Lágrimas Negras
Candela
MUSICIANS
Wesley Wray: vocals
Da'Von Moody: vocals
Isa Antonetti: vocals
Mel Semé: vocals
Marco Paguia: music director, piano, güiro
Renesito Avich: tres, vocals
David Oquendo: guitar, vocals
Leonardo Reyna: piano
Maxilmilien Darché: trumpet, flugelhorn
Hery Paz: flute, clarinet, background vocals
Eddie Arnoldito Venegas: trombone, background vocals
Gustavo Chacho Schartz: bass, background vocals
Román Diaz: bongos, cowbell
Javier Díaz: congas
Marco Ramirez: emcee
TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Felix Contreras
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Technical Director: Josephine Nyounai
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Sofia Seidel
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez
Tiny Desk Team: Josh Newell, Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
#buenavistasocialclub #nprmusic #tinydesk
Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Presenting sponsor of the 2025 Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at CapitalOne.com.
Based on real-life events and people, Buena Vista Social Club features many characters and lots of great Cuban music. It takes such skill to reflect music of a bygone era, even more to sound fresh and vibrant night after night for months at a time. Scaled down for the Tiny Desk, the show is no less magical.
Before it was a Broadway musical racking up Tony Award nominations, the Buena Vista Social Club was a second chance. After the Cuban Revolution, many of the country's beloved musicians were lost to time, but in 1996, an ensemble was formed to reclaim their spotlight. To tell their story, the musical goes back and forth between the 1940s and the recording sessions that produced a masterpiece.
After the band warms up the Tiny Desk crowd with El Cuarto de Tula, we meet young versions of the central characters: Compay Segundo (Da'Von Moody), Ibrahim Ferrer (Wesley Wray) and Omara Portuondo (Isa Antonetti) — their harmonies shine together on La Negra Tomasa. Antonetti takes on the bolero-son standard Lágrimas Negras. We also meet the older version of Ferrer, played by Mel Semé, for Candela. Marco Ramirez, who wrote the book for Buena Vista Social Club, is our emcee for this performance, guiding us through the story.
The secret sauce is, of course, the music. These are the foundational building blocks of what has made Cuban music so popular before and after the revolution in 1959. Some of the best musicians in NYC who have experience with classic Cuban music are in this production. Buena Vista Social Club is a living, breathing and deeply grooving homage to the era, the music and the island.
SET LIST
El Cuarto de Tula
La Negra Tomasa
Lágrimas Negras
Candela
MUSICIANS
Wesley Wray: vocals
Da'Von Moody: vocals
Isa Antonetti: vocals
Mel Semé: vocals
Marco Paguia: music director, piano, güiro
Renesito Avich: tres, vocals
David Oquendo: guitar, vocals
Leonardo Reyna: piano
Maxilmilien Darché: trumpet, flugelhorn
Hery Paz: flute, clarinet, background vocals
Eddie Arnoldito Venegas: trombone, background vocals
Gustavo Chacho Schartz: bass, background vocals
Román Diaz: bongos, cowbell
Javier Díaz: congas
Marco Ramirez: emcee
TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Felix Contreras
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Technical Director: Josephine Nyounai
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Sofia Seidel
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez
Tiny Desk Team: Josh Newell, Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
#buenavistasocialclub #nprmusic #tinydesk
Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Presenting sponsor of the 2025 Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at CapitalOne.com.